1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to medical equipment and in particular to devices and methods for securing a suture to a bone for use in maintaining a section of a ligament or soft tissue thereto.
2. Prior Art
Devices and methods for positioning and securing an anchor, fastener or the like to a bone to secure a suture thereto that is used to fasten a section of a ligament, or the like, are well known. A number of earlier inventions of one or both of the present inventors show several different suture anchor arrangements and drivers. For example, one such a driver mounting a suture anchor wherefrom a suture extends that is for turning the anchor into a bone is shown in a U.S. Patent to E. Marlowe Goble, U.S. Pat. No. 4,632,100. Also, other driver and suture anchor combinations of one or both of the present inventors, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,411,506 and 5,411,523, have provided for turning an anchor whereto a suture is connected into a bone for use in mounting a ligament, or the like, to that bone. Further, other patents to one of the present inventors, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,738,255, 5,013,316 and 5,141,520, illustrate other driver and anchor combinations and ligament mounting arrangements are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,772,286 and Re. 34,293, 4,870,957, 4,927,421, 4,997,433, 5,129,902, 5,352,229. Unlike these earlier suture anchor and driver combinations, however, the present invention provides for seating and mounting a suture directly into a hole drilled or otherwise formed into a bone without a need to use a separate anchor or driver.
A number of combinations of anchors, some of which include arrangements for capturing, maintaining and fitting sutures to extend from seated anchors are shown in U.S. Patents issued to others, Nos. 4,779,616; 4,946,468; 5,071,420; 5,100,417; 5,102,421; 5,139,520; 5,207,679; 5,211,650; 5,224,946; 5,236,445; and 5,258,016. None of these patents, however, provide for a direct mounting of a suture into a bone material that are like the arrangement of the invention that provides a simple and easily practiced system and process for rapidly and reliably mounting a suture to a location on or into a bone surface.